Ari's Revenge
by charlie009d
Summary: The team has been abducted. Can Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy find them before it's too late?
1. Still As Death

Author's Note: Well, I guess I'm not really the author. I'm just uploading it for charlie009d since she doesn't have Internet. But I'm pretty sure there will be torture later on in the story. At least that's what I was told. Anyway, enjoy! And don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the amazingness that is NCIS.

Blackness lay over the room like a familiar blanket. Warm, murky air seemed to come from every corner and crack. The room was small and not at all fit for living conditions. Mold was all that the room was capable of keeping alive. Four unmoving figures took up the little space the room provided. At first glance, one would think they were dead.

A short gasp echoed through the room. The smallest figure, a female about thirty years old, lifted her head and surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings. Panic began to rise in her chest. She quickly scolded herself for getting scared so fast and easy. She was a trained killer. A damp room shouldn't have scared her as much as it had.

Ziva slowly rolled onto her back, making sure she wasn't hurt in any way. The whole right side of her body was numb. She slowly closed her eyes and shifted her position to check for any broken bones. A small rattling sound caused Ziva's eyes to snap open. She lifted her head to find her ankle was chained to the floor. Deciding she was fine, she sat up. The air she was breathing caught in her throat, almost causing her to choke. This time she let the fear take over.

Her team, her friends were scattered through the tiny room, most in unnatural positions. Blood seemed to be natural in this environment. Ziva choked out the sob stuck in her throat. She then held her breath to make sure it didn't happen again. Crying was a sign of weakness.

"Tony…" Ziva whispered.

Tony was laid on his back. His eyes were closed, and his arm was bent behind his back at a weird angle. Fresh blood rested on his bottom lip. Bruises covered the left side of his face. A low moan escaped from him. Ziva let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Tony rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around his body.

"Five more minutes, mom." he groaned.

A small smile formed on Ziva's face despite the situation they were in. Ziva reached out her hand and slapped him on the back of the head. Tony's eyes immediately snapped open, but closed again just as quickly.

"Sorry boss, I won't fall asleep in the office again."

Tony opened his eyes again, but instead of seeing Gibbs, he saw Ziva kneeling in front of him.

"Hello, Miss David," he said under his breath.

Ziva gave Tony a knowing glance. "What was that, Tony?"

I said you're not Gibbs and this isn't the office," Tony replied.

Ziva helped Tony sit up. Tony rested his back against the wall and looked at the situation they were in. He placed his hand on his head and groaned.

"We are in a cucumber? Yes?" Ziva asked from beside Tony.

Tony rubbed his read and rolled his eyes. "It's pickle, Ziva. Pickle."

"A pickled and a cucumber are the same thing. Are they not?" Ziva asked in a matter of fact tone.

Tony sighed and gave up. Tony looked out onto the room. Tim McGee lay on his stomach, and a large bruise was visible on the back of McGee's neck. Tony got on his hands and knees and began to crawl toward Tim. He pressed his fingers to McGee's cheek, and drool poured out of his mouth.

"Probie, wake up." Tony said in a sing song voice.

McGee groaned and absentmindedly swatted at the air. Ziva shook his shoulder.

"Wakie, wakie, eggs and toast." she said softly.

"It's eggs and bacie." Tony corrected.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "I think we have more important things to worry about than correcting my English."

Tony pushed himself up. "You should have tried this first." Tony leaned forward. "Elflord…" he called softly.

McGee's eyes snapped opened. He struggled to stand up, but was flung back down due to the chains. McGee turned his neck side to side, cracking it.

"Where are we?" he finally asked. Tony and Ziva exchanged glances.

"Well, Probie, we're in the magical land of unicorns and butterflies." Tony said sarcastically.

McGee shot Tony an irritated gaze. "This isn't exactly the time to kid around, Tony." He replied.

"Well, McGeek, if we knew where we are, we have got up and left you here.

"Even if you did know where we are, you couldn't have left. Because, if you haven't noticed already, we are chained to the freaking floor!" McGee spat.

Tony rolled his eyes and slumped back onto the floor. "Yes, Probie, I've noticed."

"Something's wrong." McGee said. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Yes, well, as you pointed out-"Tony began.

"No, that's not it." McGee said slowly.

Tony sat up straight and gave McGee the best Gibbs stare he could muster. "Then what is it?"

McGee sat cross legged on the floor, cupping his chin in his hand. "The fact that Ziva hasn't gotten in on this yet."

Ziva wasn't even looking at them. Her gaze was fixed on something on the other side of the room. The fear was back, but it didn't only affect Ziva. This time it clung to all three of their hearts. Laying face down, unmoving, was Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Blood poured down his face from a wound in his head. All three agents were terrified.

Tony cleared his throat, "Boss." It ended up coming out as a hoarse whisper.

Gibbs didn't move. Fear began to dissipate and panic rose.

Ziva opened her mouth to speak. "Gibbs…"

Gibbs didn't respond. He just laid there, unmoving. Still as death.


	2. Bullets

The room was quiet. It smelled of hospital cleaners. Three people stood around a lab table, daring for someone to speak. There was a question that everyone knew the answer to, but no one wanted to confirm. Finally an older gentleman broke the silence.

"They're missing." Ducky said.

Abby placed her head in her hands. Palmer gently comforted her.

"Dr. Mallard, how can we be sure?" Jimmy Palmer asked.

Abby smacked her hands down on the table. "What does it matter! They are out there scared and alone! Maybe even hurt! Though I hope not hurt…"

Ducky nodded. "I understand, and us being here doesn't help them."

Abby's face lit up. "So we're going to crack this case?"

I suppose so." Ducky replied.

Abby was at her computer quicker than The Flash. Typing, trying to figure out what she could.

"The last anyone heard from them was when Jenny-"

Palmer cleared his throat.

Abby looked up. "Right, sorry. Director Shepard called to complain to Gibbs. Don't ask me what it was about because I don't know. Probably something pointless."

Abby typed, trying to track down where the call came from. "Guys, Gibbs's cell is still on!"

Both of the men looked up surprised. Jimmy quickly walked to the computer to check her work. "It says they're on Silent Hill Road." he confirmed.

Ducky nodded his head. "Now it's just a matter of getting there."

Both Ducky and Jimmy faced Abby, who was currently writing the location of the cell phone on the back of her hand. Feeling eyes on her back she turned. "Don't look at me. My car's in the shop."

"I rode the bus." Jimmy piped in.

Ducky sighed while putting on his coat and placing his hat on his head. "I suppose we could take my car.

Three people were crushed in Ducky's small car. Abby fidgeted nervously in the back seat, Ducky drove while recalling a story of his latest autopsy, and Jimmy slept soundly. Abby was about to nod off when the car suddenly stopped. Abby and Jimmy were shook out of their daze.

Both Abby and Jimmy looked to Ducky for an explanation. Ducky looked as if he had aged twenty years. "We're here." was all he could say.

Abby fumbled for the door handle and stumbled out of the car. The first thing the trio saw was what looked like Gibbs's car, with dozens of bullet holes all through it. Abby's hand flew to her mouth as tears flowed freely from her eyes. Jimmy slowly walked in circles around the abandoned car. Ducky shook his head back and forth as he examined the license plate.

Ducky took a long deep breath "It's their car."

Jimmy was about to make his third lap around the car when Abby roughly grabbed his arm and yanked him to her. Jimmy was startled by this strange action. Abby gently placed her head on his shoulder and sobbed. All he could do was awkwardly pat her on the back.

She wiped her nose. "Let's get to work. I'll check the field over there." she said, pointing to the left, "And you two can take the car."

Abby removed her crime scene kit from Ducky's car and moved onto her self-assigned assignment, tears slowly streaming down her face.

Ducky shook his head. "See what you can find on the inside, and I'll count the bullet holes. You know what this reminds me of? That movie, oh, what was it called? Oh, no matter anyway-" Jimmy tuned him out and continued his search.

The three of them met up back at Ducky's car, each having found their own evidence. Abby held up a bag containing two guns. "One of these definitely belongs to Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, or McGee. The other one doesn't."

"I didn't find anything in the car, other than Tony's laptop, which has some pretty disturbing things on it." Jimmy stated, "I think it scarred me for life."

Ducky cleared his throat. "The attackers came in great numbers. There were fifty-two bullet holes in the car."

Both Jimmy and Abby's eyes grew bigger than lemons. Abby placed her hand on her head. "This doesn't make sense." she murmured.

"Abigail, what doesn't make sense?" asked Ducky.

"We found this place by tracking Gibbs's phone. Where's the phone!"

"It wasn't in the car." stated Jimmy, sighing and running a hand through his hair.

The three of them moved to the field to continue the search. The high grass in the field moved slowly back and forth in the warm summer breeze, welcoming the trio. Dr. Mallard was babbling on about his days in the UK while the three continued their search. Both Abby and Jimmy looked up when Ducky stopped talking.

"Oh, dear…" he said. All three of them were looking at the same things, eyes open wide in shock.

On the ground lay Gibbs's cell phone in a large pool of fresh blood.


	3. No

Author's Note: Well, I'm still not the author. Just charlie009d's friend, typing and posting the story for her. I would've had this on here yesterday, but I'm lazy. That probably explains why I can't finish an fanfic. But anyway, charlie009d says thanks for the reviews! I promise, there will be some torture in this chapter (Yay!) Yeah, I'm kinda psycho like that.

Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS, do you think I would be in rural Pennsylvania right now?

The room fell silent, Gibbs lay face down, unmoving. Blood had long since stop slowing from the wound on his head. The three agent's ragged breathing echoed throughout the room. Tony stood up, slightly wobbling, and slowly made his way toward Gibbs. The senior field agent kneeled by his side and placed two fingers on his mentor's neck. Tony looked down at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut, and placed his head in his hands. McGee swallowed hard and asked the question on all of their minds.

"Is he…dead?"

"Yeah. He's…"

"No," Gibbs said, "But you will be if you don't stop touching me." Gibbs slowly sat up and propped his body up against the wall he took notice of the warm, moist air. "It's humid." he stated.

All three agents looked at him with a no-duh expression. Gibbs was then lost in thought and didn't bother to explain himself. Gibbs, no matter how hard he tried could not remember being abducted. The last thing he could remember was getting a phone call from Jenny.

Gibbs cleared his throat to speak. "What's the last thing you can remember before you woke up here?"

Ziva was the first to answer. "A phone call from the Director."

"Yeah, me too." Tony recalled. McGee nodded his head in agreement.

Gibbs closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his mind. When he opened them, he began to study the chains attached to his ankle. It was obvious everything useful had been taken away. The only thing they had were each other and the clothes on their backs.

Ker-plunk!

A loud sound filled the room. All four agents' heads turned toward the big metal door. The door slowly creaked open. A figure stepped into the room. He wore a long brown trench coat that reached the floor. The collar was stuck up to cover his face and a fedora hat sat on his head. When he spoke it was in broken English.

"When I tell you to voice, speak you name." he said.

The man's voice sparked something in Ziva's brain. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. The man turned to her and placed a gloved hand under her chin.

"Don't touch her!" Tony growled.

The man swirled around, backhanding Tony. Tony rubbed his cheek where a welt was probably already forming. The man turned back to Ziva. "What's your name, little miss?"

"Anne-Marie Williams." she lied without hesitation. The man slapped Ziva. Tony, Gibbs, and McGee leaned forward, wanting nothing more than to strangle the man.

"You lie!" he spat at her.

Ziva spit on his shoes. That got her another backhand to the face.

"If you already know my name, then why ask?"

"To quiz your honesty."

Ziva took her time wiping blood from her mouth. "My name is Ziva David."

The man then moved to Tony. "And your identification?"

"Tony DiNozzo." The man kicked him in the ribs.

"Your full name!" he spat, his voice full of venom.

Tony gritted his teeth. "Anthony DiNozzo Jr."

The man made his way to McGee, smirking under his disguise. "And you?" he asked.

"Timothy McGee." McGee clamped his eyes shut, expecting to be punished. Instead, the man stuck his hand out and patted him on the head like a dog. He then turned to Gibbs.

"Ah, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you've finally woken up. I though we may have hit you too hard."

Gibbs stared him down. "Why did you bring us here?"

The man chuckled. "Ah, I was told you're impatient. You'll find out in due time. For now, you and only you will come with me."

"And if I don't?"

The man pulled out a gun. "Then I shoot the fat one."

"I think he's talking about you." Tony whispered to McGee.

McGee rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's you he's talking about."

Tony opened his mouth to fire back a witty retort, but he never got the chance. The man raised his gun and fired. The bullet made its way into the wall between Tony and McGee. Both men shut up.

Gibbs stood up while the man undid his restraints. His head swam and stars danced across his eyes. "If you try to run," the man warned, "they all die." The man led Gibbs into a small hallway. He waited as the man latched the door shut.

Gibbs found himself in an exact replica of the NCIS interrogation room. He was attached to a homemade version of the electric chair. A different man sat across from him. He wore a black ski mask, and his tan, muscled arms were visible. The man threw a folder on the table and pulled out a picture of a woman in her mid thirties with brown hair.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked.

Gibbs's mind raced. Yes, he knew who it was. It was NCIS Special Agent Kate Todd. She was Gibbs's team member. She had been killed right in front of him by Ari Haswari, his former enemy. Only him and Ziva knew the truth about how he died. When he didn't answer the man, bolts of electricity snaked through his body. He yelped in surprise, but then stayed quiet. The man across from him smiled.

"Let's try this again. Who is she?" he asked, pointing to Kate's photo.

Gibbs licked his lips. "I have information you want, and you have information I want."

The man smiled a sick, twisted smile as Gibbs was once again shocked. Just when Gibbs thought it would end, the pain intensified. He couldn't breathe. When it stopped, Gibbs found himself greedily sucking down air. The whole time, the man had a smile plastered to his face. "What do you want to know, Jethro?" he sneered.

"Call me Gibbs." Another wave of electricity coursed through his body. This one was nearly unbearable. Gibbs bit down on his tongue so he couldn't scream. The man began to laugh. The electricity and laughter are at his brain, slowly driving him crazy.

"Shut up!" he finally screamed.

The electricity abruptly stopped. Gibbs opened his eyes to find himself on the floor. The man had one hand on the back of his head and the other under his chin. "One more disrespectful word," the man threatened, "And I snap your neck like a twig."

The man stood up and took his time dusting himself off. He then sat Gibbs's chair up right. The man sat back down at his seat and again asked, "What do you want to know, Jethro?"

Gibbs took a deep breath and said, "Why was my team brought here? And who are you people?"

The man smiled. "I cannot answer the first question yet. But the second I can. You will not be alive long enough to use it against us." The man reached up and pulled his ski mask off, to reveal a handsome, tanned face. His black hair came to about his ears. When he smiled, he showed perfectly white teeth.

"My name is Minho." he said smiling. "The man who brought you in, his name is Andrew."

Gibbs didn't move an inch.

"Now tell me who this woman is."

Gibbs swallowed his pride and answered, "Special Agent Caitlin Todd."

Minho again smiled. Minho obviously had a smiling problem. It was really starting to annoy Gibbs. He turned to face the two-way mirror. He motioned for whoever it was to come out. Moments later, Andrew came in the room, Tony trudging behind him. Tony gave a half smile, almost saying 'Hey Boss, look at this!'

"Where are the other two?" Gibbs demanded.

Andrew moved so that Tony was in front of him. He then pulled out a knife. "In their cell." he finally answered.

Minho cleared his throat. "Getting back on subject, where is this woman, Kate, now?"

Tony warily eyed Andrew and the knife. "Don't answer them Boss, they're just being a bunch of-" Tony screamed as the knife dug into his arm.

"Shut it." Andrew growled.

"Leave him alone!" Gibbs roared.

Minho waved his hand to indicate Gibbs was to be shocked again. The waves began to spread through Gibbs's body; the setting was on low to cause a long, slow, painful death.

Tony wanted answers. He needed a way to speak to Gibbs without anyone getting hurt. Sign language. True, Tony sucked at signing and he hardly knew any at all. Abby had been teaching him. But his mind always wandered to more important things. He knew enough though.

'Do you have a plan?' he signed. Though he was pretty sure he said something along the lines of 'My bathtub is purple.'

But the electrocuted Gibbs understood. He shook his head 'No'. Tony was then worried. Gibbs had been enduring this for so long. Just as that thought went through his mind, Gibbs went limp. Andrew put away his knife, but then he thought twice about it and pulled it back out.

He pointed to Tony. "You will carry him." Andrew pushed Tony forward. "You will each be stabbed for every time you stop, hesitate, or just whenever I feel like it."

Minho smiled and waved as they left.

The door latched behind them, as a man carried an older man into the holding cell. Tony set Gibbs down, motioning for Ziva and McGee to come over. Both did as they were told.

"McGee, give me your jacket." Ziva instructed the second she caught sight of the wounds.

"What? Why?" McGee started. "Oh…" McGee quickly took his jacket off and handed it to Ziva. She ripped it into long strips and began to nurse Gibbs's wounds, as Tony attended to himself.

"How'd this happen?" McGee asked.

Tony began to tell the story when something clicked in his mind. "We're just extras." he said, almost to himself.

McGee raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"It's Gibbs they want," Tony said, "Not us. They're going to use us against him."


	4. Revenge

Author's Note: Still not the author. But anyways, charlie009d is super excited about the reviews this has been getting! By the way, for those of you who think Kate will suddenly emerge from the dead or something in this story, its not gonna happen. It would be cool, but I'm not the author, and the author doesn't always care about my suggestions (Like my many suggestions about how they should be tortured in this story. C'mon, who doesn't wanna have Chinese water torture included in their stories!) Anyways, if you have any suggestions about how the team can be tortured, let me know!

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. Just the first six seasons on DVD.

* * *

><p>The door swung open and Andrew walked in and set down something covered by a white cloth, then walked out. Ziva eyed the object, then reached out and took the cloth off. Underneath were four loaves of bread and two glass pitchers of water. Ziva ripped the white cloth in two and lightly dipped them in water. Something caught her eye. It was a note.<p>

_Dear Agents,_

_Spread your portions out wisely because this is all you get._

_With a smile, _

_Minho_

_At least they are keeping us alive_, Ziva thought, _for now._

McGee cleared his throat. "Each of us gets a loaf," he started, "And we only drink when absolutely necessary." Ziva and Tony nodded in agreement.

"I think we should eat half a slice. Right now." Tony said.

Ziva wrapped the cloth around Gibbs's head so the wound wouldn't get infected. Ziva, Tony, and McGee ate in silence; all eyes were on the unconscious Gibbs.

"Who would do this to him?" McGee asked.

"Ex-wife number two." Tony replied, smiling.

The three agents all laid down and embraced the darkness called sleep.

* * *

><p>A small room contained about fifteen men and three women. They were all staring at a TV screen, which showed the torture of NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Snickers burst through the crowd as he fell unconscious. A fat man wearing a trench coat stepped onto a table and spread his arms, looking to the ceiling. All around him, people chanted his name: Carny.<p>

"We will finally defeat the monster known as Leroy Jethro Gibbs!" he cried.

The crowd roared with excitement.

"And dance on his grave!" someone yelled.

A girl with blond hair, about sixteen years old, pushed her way through the crowd until she was in front of Carny. "Who are these other people?" she asked.

Carny stepped down from the table and slung an arm around the girl's shoulder. "Mel, those are called threats and blackmail." he laughed.

Mel shrugged his arm off and left to join her friends. The party continued and at some point, Carny crawled back onto the table.

"Ari would be so proud!" he screamed.

* * *

><p>Gibbs slowly opened his eyes, ignoring the pain that spread all through his body. He could hear people talking in low whispers on the other side of the room. With a low groaned, he sat himself up.<p>

"Morning, Boss," Tony said, "Are you hungry?"

Tony held out a piece of bread, but Gibbs waved it away. Gibbs felt something on his head, and was about to remove it when McGee said, "It's a make-shift bandage, Boss."

Gibbs cleared his throat and all eyes were on him. Everyone expected him to pull an escape plan out of nowhere. Seriously, they all thought they would be out in less than twenty-four hours.

"So, Tony," Gibbs began, "How's the purple bathtub situation going?"

Tony smiled and handed Gibbs a pitcher of water. He took a small sip and sat it back on the tray. He stood up and paced the room, searching his brain for anything and everything that could help them in this situation.

Ker-plunk!

The door swung open. Andrew and Minho stepped in. Each held a gun, one pointed at Gibbs, the other at Ziva.

"You two will come with us now." Andrew said.

Minho's lips curled into his normal creepy smile as he undid the chains binding Gibbs and Ziva to the floor. He roughly grabbed Ziva's arm.

"I'll take care of you, girly-girl." he said in a low whisper.

Ziva pulled back her arm and punched him in the face. She gave a small smile when she heard a loud crack, indicating she had broken his nose. Ziva was about to punch him again when a loud gunshot filled the room.

Andrew lowered his gun and tilted his head to the side. Minho nodded and grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her out of the room. Andrew and Gibbs followed. Before the door closed, they could hear McGee talking to Tony.

"I wish I had a purple bathtub."

* * *

><p>The room was gray. Nothing but gray. The second they entered, Gibbs had a bad feeling about it.<p>

Gibbs was shoved against the wall quickly by Andrew and chained there. Minho did the same to Ziva. Minho took out a knife and sat in front of Ziva like he was an old friend.

"So, Jethro, I learned you had a tragic life." Andrew said.

Gibbs clenched his jaw tight. _What was it any of their business, _he thought. His life was hard, yes, but he didn't like to talk about it.

"I'm sure you could have saved them," Andrew continued, "Shannon and Kelly, I mean. You knew Shannon witnessed something she shouldn't have."

"Don't say their names." Gibbs growled.

Andrew laughed softly. "What about Miss Todd? She didn't take one, but two bullets for you." he said grimly.

"Don't listen to him, Gibbs!" Ziva yelled. Minho pulled his knife across the skin on Ziva's upper arm, making a diagonal cut. Blood flowed freely from the wound. Ziva bit down on her lip so she wouldn't cry out.

Andrew chuckled. "Such loyal teammates you have, Jethro."

Andrew raised his hand. Minho's smile got wider, if possible. Minho continued to cut up Ziva's upper arm. She said nothing in protest, for fear they would harm Gibbs or the others.

"So, Gibbs, how do you feel," Andrew began to ask, "Knowing that the people you care about are dying and it's your fault?"

Gibbs said nothing, instead glaring at him. If looks could kill, Andrew would be resting in his grave.

Minho threw something to Andrew. On closer inspection, Gibbs found it to be a communicator. Andrew lifted the comm to his mouth and spoke. "Carny, bring the girl."

Andrew cleared his throat. "It's truly amazing; the effects of murder in one's family can have on a person. Some result in revenge. Others in justice. What are you Gibbs, hero or villain?"

Gibbs didn't answer. He had done bad things in his life, and he knew it. Did one bad thing weigh all the lives he's saved? All the mysteries he's solved? Did he regret murdering Pedro? Sometimes. But that doesn't change the fact that Pedro cold heartedly killed his family.

A short knock came at the door. A very fat man, who Gibbs decided was Carny, pushed a blond teenage girl into the room and left.

"Mel, you know your job." Andrew stated.

Mel nodded and pulled out a box of matches. Tearing off Ziva's coat, she lit it on fire. She then picked up a metal rod and placed it in the flames.

Minho began to stroke Ziva's cheek, whispering unheard words in her ear. Ziva's eyes opened wide. She then clamped her teeth down on Minho's shoulder. Minho yelled in surprise, and then he punched her in the temple, causing her to fall unconscious.

Minho examined the wound on Ziva's upper arm. "This needs bandaged."

Andrew nodded and ripped the make-shift bandage off Gibbs's head and threw it to Minho. He patched up the wound and nodded to Mel. The teenager pulled out a knife and moved so she was in front of Gibbs. She sliced open the front of his shirt and smirked.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

Mel's face fell. "My father killed my mother, NCIS killed my father."

Gibbs grimaced. Even though he wasn't the one on that case, he still felt sorry for Mel. She couldn't be older than sixteen.

Mel walked back to the fire and pulled out the metal rod. It was then that Gibbs realized what she was going to do. She was going to brand him. Mel surveyed his open chest, trying to decide where it would hurt most.

The hot metal pressed against the exposed flesh right above Gibbs heart. The second it touched, blisters began to form. Mel held it in place, enjoying Gibbs's moans of pain. Andrew was just irritated that he wouldn't scream. Minho smiled the whole time.

When Mel removed the brand, Gibbs sucked in large amounts of air. Mel placed the brand back into the flames. She then took a small box out of her pocket. She opened it to find thousands of small sewing needles. She took one out and stabbed it in Gibbs's arm.

Over the next three hours, Mel placed a needle on every inch of Gibbs's skin. When Mel finally stopped, she began to painfully rip them all out.

* * *

><p>Ziva and Gibbs limped into the cell together. McGee and Tony quickly placed the ankle restraints on them, because they were told to by Andrew.<p>

"What happened?" McGee blurted before he could stop himself.

"Gibbs has been branded." Ziva replied.

Both Tony and McGee were suddenly filled with panic. Gibbs slapped both of them on the back of the head as he sat down.

"It's right here." Gibbs said, pointing to his heart.

All three agents leaned in to examine the brand. Tony and McGee pretended like they didn't notice the tiny needle marks all over Gibbs.

"What does A.H. mean?" Tony asked. The mark left behind was the initials A.H., printed very neatly.

"I don't know." Gibbs admitted. "Let's work on Ziva for now. Come back to me later."

Ziva slipped the bandages off her arm. Cut into her upper right arm was a name that they never liked to mention. Ari.

From the beginning, Gibbs had suspicions but this just proved he was right. The questions about Kate, the initial permanently burned above his heart, and Ziva's wound all made sense then.

"They want revenge." Gibbs said slowly. "On me, for killing Ari Haswari."

He looked at Ziva as he said this. She put her head in her hands and silently cried.

* * *

><p><strong>This is getting interesting. At least, I'm pretty sure it would if I wasn't told everything that was going to happen. <strong>


	5. Arizona

Abby stood in her lab clicking through pictures of the crime scene. Ducky and Jimmy walked in speaking quietly.

"Why'd you need us, Abby?" Jimmy asked.

Abby turned to face them. "Dirt."

Both men looked at her, clearly confused. Abby turned back to her lab table and picked up two vials with little specks of mud in them.

"This one," Abby said, holding a vial up, "is from Washington. The other is from Arizona."

Neither Ducky nor Jimmy reacted to this. Abby rolled her eyes. "The people who took them are from Arizona!"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow.

"Ari-zon-" Abby stopped. She pulled out a pen and paper.

"What are you doing?" Ducky questioned. In response, Abby pointed to the paper. On it was one word.

Arizona

Ducky nodded in understanding.

"He's the guy who shot Gerald, right?" Jimmy asked.

Ducky nodded. "And killed Caitlin."

Abby cleared her throat. "We need to get to Arizona. Now."

Jimmy nodded and ran to a computer to buy three plane tickets.

The trio met at the airport three hours later. They all boarded the plane then took off. Several flight attendants asked if they would like peanuts. Each said no.

After so long, something clicked in Abby's brain and she started to cry. Ducky hugged her as she cried.

"They're gonna die!" she bawled.

"Shhh. Abigail, don't think like that." Ducky comforted.

Jimmy placed his hand on Abby's shoulder. "They're strong, they'll be okay." Jimmy caught the lie in his own words. He didn't know that they would be okay. There was no guarantee everyone would come out alive. "I hope." he added.


	6. It All Comes Back

Hey, it's charlie's typing monkey! I was gonna update sooner but my stupid computer got a virus! Sorry the last chapter was so short, even though its not my fault! Wow, I typed two chapters in a day! It's probably cuz I've been randomly hyper tonight and I was bored. Does anybody else think the idea of a group of vengeful terrorists kidnapping four federal agents and taking them to Arizona sounds weird and kinda stupid? I mean, seriously, Arizona? I actually had an argument with charlie about it, but she won cuz she's the author and rarely ever gives a crap about my opinion! Which is weird, cuz this story wouldn't exist if I hadn't gotten her obsessed with NCIS! Sorry about my random rant, it happens a lot. Anyway, please enjoy the story and please keep all hands, feet, and other objects inside the car at all times. And don't forget to review!

I don't own NCIS, just the first six seasons on DVD.

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><p>Gibbs woke with a start. He had a dream, a very vivid dream about being kidnapped. Gibbs closed his eyes to fall back asleep when he received a hard kick to the ribs. Gibbs groaned as he was yanked into a standing position. Minho stood behind him and bound his hands. Andrew was waking McGee on the other side of the room.<p>

"Come with me, you two." Minho said, smiling. "Mel has a surprise."

"Oh goodie" Gibbs said under his breath.

McGee was hit in the face with the butt of Andrew's gun, for trying to struggle out of his restraints.

* * *

><p>Gibbs was again placed in the electric chair, but he wasn't in the copy interrogation room. He was on the other side of the glass. McGee sat on the other side in a normal chair, asking them why they were doing this.<p>

Gibbs was not alone. There were four other people in the room with him. Carny and Mel stood by both his sides and at the back of the room stood a set of identical male twins. Gibbs mentally called them Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Carny nodded to Mel, who smiled and walked out of the room and appeared in the other room where McGee was. Without saying anything, she leaned forward and kissed McGee passionately on the lips.

Anger bubbled inside Gibbs. Mel was playing dirty. McGee didn't know what Mel was capable of.

"She's playing him!" Gibbs growled in frustration.

Carny pressed a button on the mantle in front of him. A high level of electricity weaved its way through Gibbs's body. Gibbs endured the pain and stayed quiet.

Mel broke the kiss and put on a flirty smile. "So, Timmy," Mel stopped, "It is okay if I call you Timmy, isn't it?"

McGee was speechless. So he just nodded. Mel stroked his cheek. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" she asked. "Or should I walk by again?"

Mel giggled, a cheerleader giggle, and again kissed McGee. This was obviously an act and Tim, poor stupid Tim, was buying it. Mel grabbed McGee's hand and played with his thumb.

"How rude of me. I never told you my name. I'm Mel." she said happily.

McGee stuttered. "Is it short for something? Melanie or Melinda? Melissa?"

Mel shook her head. "Nope, just Mel." She giggled. "I think I'm in love."

McGee's face flushed. "Really?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. "Yep." she whispered in his ear. "And do you know what they say about love?" Mel asked.

"No, what?"

Mel smiled and looked straight into McGee's eyes. "It can be murderous…" she whispered.

Through the glass, Gibbs could see Mel take some sort of gun out of her belt loop. She pressed it to McGee's arm and pulled the trigger. McGee howled in pain.

Gibbs began to yell at Carny to make Mel stop when he realized there was no _Bang!_ The gun didn't make a sound. Two words popped into Gibbs's head: Rubber bullets.

Mel smiled and backed away; surveying the welt she had left. Then again she raised the weapon and fired. The rubber bullet made contact with Tim's cheek. McGee cried out in pain and reflexively placed his hand on his cheek.

On the other side of the glass, Gibbs was throwing a fit and being shocked for it. Finally Carny gave up shocking him, seeing as it did no good. Carny motioned for Thing 1 and Thing 2 to come over. The twins undid the restraints and let him stand. Without warning, Thing 2 tackled Gibbs to the ground and repeatedly punched him in the face.

Gibbs pushed Thing 2 off himself and stood up. He was getting ready to charge Carny when the twins grabbed his arms and held him back.

"Mi, Ling, do with him what you will." Carny instructed as he walked out of the room.

Gibbs yanked his arms out of their grips and turned, punching Ling in the face. Ling held his nose, which was gushing blood. Mi wrapped his hands around Gibbs's neck attempting to strangle him. Gibbs kneed him in the gut. Mi doubled over. Gibbs saw that as his chance and delivered a solid punch to Mi's temple, rendering him unconscious instantly. Ling drove his fist into Gibbs's back, causing him to fall to his knees.

Gibbs found a small wooden door stopper on the floor; he quickly picked it up and swirled around, crashing the block of wood into the back of Ling's head. Ling crumpled to the floor.

Gibbs saw McGee in the other room, begging for Mel to stop. By this point, McGee had about ten welts all over his body. Without thinking, Gibbs yanked open the door leading to the hallway. He quickly made his way to the room where Tim was being held. When his hand was on the door handle, something large and heavy came down on his head. Gibbs fell to the floor and his mind faded into blackness.

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><p>When Gibbs woke up, he didn't open his eyes. He kept them closed to see what he could hear.<p>

"I'm tired to this game of cat and dog!" Ziva yelled.

Tony sighed. "Its cat and mouse, Ziva." he corrected.

"Whatever." Ziva mumbled.

Gibbs could hear movement. "Ziva, what's wrong?" Tony asked.

Soft sobs came from the female of the group. "This is all my fault."

"Don't say that," McGee said softly, "It's not anyone's fault."

"You don't understand." she replied.

"Then explain." Tony ordered.

Ziva took a moment to collect herself. She took a deep breath and said the words she had hoped she would never have to say. "Gibbs didn't kill Ari. I did." Ziva sobbed.

The room fell silent. Gibbs took this as his chance to 'wake up'. He slowly opened his eyes to see Tony with his arms around Ziva, mumbling into her ear. Gibbs groggily sat up, ignoring the pain in his head. McGee grew a wide smile when he saw Gibbs awake and moving.

"Morning, Boss." McGee said happily. "You had no idea how scared I was when I walked out and saw you laying there."

Gibbs gave him a stare that clearly said, 'You're an idiot'

"What is it, Boss?" Tony questioned.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "I know where we are and how we got here." All three agents looked at Gibbs, waiting for him to continue.

*Flashback*

_The road seemed to stretch on forever. There was nothing on either side, just tall grass waving in the wind. It was almost peaceful, as if everything else in the world didn't matter. Up ahead, power lines could be seen. A phone rang and three agents turned their heads to look at their leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly answered the phone._

"_What do you want, Jenny?" he practically growled into the phone._

"_First of all, it's Director Shepard to you. Second, I thought I told you not to go on this mission."_

_Gibbs pulled the car over to the side of the road. This was going to be an interesting conversation._

"_I couldn't resist." he replied, smiling._

"_Yes, I understand. But this wasn't even your case!"_

_Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well." Then he snapped his phone shut. He rested against the seat, smiling to himself. His moment of peace was interrupted by a bullet whizzing through the window near his head. The four agents scrambled out of the car and crouched down on one side, weapons at the ready. Ziva saw movement in the tall grass. She turned her weapon and fired. All at once, many weapons fired, causing numerous bullet holes in the car. A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed Ziva's shoulders and yanked her up._

_Ziva threw a punch at the attacker's face. The blow never landed because a syringe plunged deep into her neck. Ziva's mind went blank as she fell to the ground. Tony let out an agitated yell as he saw Ziva collapse. He then engaged in hand to hand combat with her attacker._

_McGee found himself surrounded by hooded men. They taunted him in another language. One of them pulled out a metal rod and hit McGee on the back of the neck. McGee toppled over like a ton of bricks._

_Tony was fighting Ziva's attacker tooth and nail. But one missed block was all it took. Tony missed the man's flying fist. He was hit in the temple very hard and immediately blacked out._

_Gibbs was alone. Every man had him surrounded. It was hopeless. But still he fought. All around him, he watched his team fall one by one. And still he fought. Something large came crashing down on his head. His sight became blurred, but before he passed out he saw a flash of blonde hair._

_Sometime later, Gibbs opened his eyes to see he was in a dimly lit room and his team lay around him. All of them had been knocked out. The ground underneath him started rumbling. 'Airplane' he thought._

_A man came up behind him and again hit him over the head with a metal bar._

*End Flashback*

"That doesn't explain where we are." McGee pointed out.

Gibbs gave a half smile. "We're in Arizona."

McGee raised an eyebrow in question. "How do you know?"

"The humidity of the air."

McGee nodded, even though he didn't really understand. Silence fell over the room. The only sound was the four agents breathing. Tony still had his arms wrapped around Ziva.

They were all scared. They were hungry. And they were dying. After a while Gibbs spoke up.

"They're done messing around." he said. "Next time they come, it will be the final encounter."

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><p>I hope you liked this chapter! I had better torture ideas, like removing McGee's spleen or possibly castration, but charlie didn't like those ideas. I liked those ideas. Probably cuz my mind is more twisted than hers (I blame Criminal Minds for that!) Sorry, I get off topic really easy cuz I have the attention span of a squirrel! Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated. All you have to do is click that pretty button down below and tell me what you think of the story! Wow, I really can ramble on and on and on and on... ya know what, I'm just gonna shut up now. Maybe. At least for now.<p> 


	7. Semper Fi

Hey, it's the typing monkey again! I was bored, so I decided to type this chapter! Wow, I've been updating really fast lately! Maybe I might actually start to work on a fanfic of my own soon! Sorry about the rambling, I already explained that I do this alot when I'm hyper! I also use alot of exclamation points! Okay, okay, I'm gonna shut up now and get on with the story.

Do you think I would be my friend's typing monkey if I owned NCIS? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

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><p>Gibbs sat alone against the wall, quietly listening to his team sleeping. Ziva stirred slightly, but stayed asleep. Tony constantly rolled, mumbling something about bacon. McGee snored like a drunken cow.<p>

Gibbs heard footsteps in the hallway. He quickly pulled something out of his pocket and stuck it in Ziva's hand. The door swung open and Mel quietly walked in.

Mel swiftly undid his restraints and helped him to stand up. The two of them walked out into the hallway and Gibbs waited patiently as the teenager shut the door. She allowed Gibbs to lean on her for support.

"I'm not a completely bad person." she mumbled.

"Then why did you join Ari?"

Mel stopped and looked Gibbs right in the eyes. "I am not a terrorist. I love my country. I love America. I would never do anything to harm it. I never joined Ari. He was dead long before I showed up. Carny took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I only heard of this plan a few weeks ago. At first I didn't agree, but when I heard NCIS was involved, I couldn't resist."

Mel began to sob. To her surprise, Gibbs wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight hug. Mel didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry." Mel whispered into Gibbs's chest.

Gibbs lightly patted Mel on the back. "It's okay."

He pushed her at arms length away so he could look at her. "I want you to help my escape. You can go with them. They will find you a suitable home."

Mel nodded and forced a smile. "I don't think Tim likes me."

Gibbs smiled. "He'll get over it."

Mel's smile disappeared. "They're going to kill you. And you know it."

Gibbs nodded solemnly and patted Mel's shoulder. "Just help my team."

The two continued down the long hallway and stopped to open the door of the interrogation room. Inside, Andrew and Minho patiently waited. Minho held out his hands and Mel placed a set of keys in it. Mel turned and left the room.

"Hello, Jethro, we've been waiting for you." Andrew said smugly.

Ziva woke to find a strange object in her hand. At closer inspection, she found it to be a very deformed paperclip.

Without warning, the door flew open with a loud _Clang!_ Both McGee and Tony jolted awake. A blonde teenager walked into the room and turned to McGee. The girl got down on her knees and folded her hands as if she were praying.

"Please Tim, you have to forgive me. I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I was cruel and wrong. Could you ever forgive me?"

McGee eyed Mel for a moment, and then reached out his hand to help her up. Tony scratched his head, surveying the room. "Where's the boss?" he asked.

Mel began to explain very quickly. "Minho and Andrew are torturing him as we speak! They aren't going to kill him yet though. They're going to make him watch all of you die! He told me to help you escape."

Ziva spoke up. "We need to help Gibbs."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Ziva picked up one of the glass pitchers of water and let go, causing it to crash to the floor. She knelt down and picked up the biggest shards. "McGee, throw me your jacket." she instructed.

McGee did as he was told without questioning. Everyone watched in amazement as Ziva quickly made five shanks. She handed out the make shift knives, keeping two for herself.

"Now we just need to get out of these chains." Tony stated.

Ziva smiled and held up the deformed paperclip.

Gibbs was forcefully thrown to the ground by Andrew. Minho began to kick him in the ribs. Gibbs threw out his hand, trying to punch Andrew in the face.

"We're going to finish this." Andrew growled, pulling out a gun.

Minho looked between the gun and Gibbs. A smile slowly crept onto his face. "Remember, you only have three shots."

Andrew shoved Gibbs into a chair and sat across the table from him. "Any last words before you join you beloved Shannon and Kelly, Jethro?"

Gibbs stared at the man with a grim expression. "Semper Fi."

Andrew barked a laugh. "Semper Fi? Do you honestly believe that will help you now?"

The door swung open and the three agents and Mel ran into the room, weapons in hand. Ziva flung herself at Minho and viciously stabbed him in the back until he fell to the ground dead.

The sound of shattering glass filled the room as Carny, Mi, and Ling broke through the two way mirror. With a yell, Mel threw all her weight at Carny, momentarily surprising him. Mel took her chance and stabbed him in the throat.

Mi, Ling, Tony, and McGee began to battle it out, fighting hard. Because they knew, one wrong move and you're dead.

Andrew watched as war broke out around him. This wasn't part of the plan. He raised his gun in the air and fired attempting to stop the rampage. But it did no such thing.

Andrew's eyes fell on Gibbs. He raised his gun, his finger on the trigger.

He fired.

Mel was moving between Gibbs and the bullet before she realized she was even moving. The bullet dug deep into her chest. She slumped to the floor. Dead. Just dead. No chance to say any last words or requests. Mel was just dead.

Gibbs watched in horror as Mel fell to the ground. She had saved him.

Tony and McGee finished off the twins to find Mel lying dead in front of Gibbs.

All at once, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Andrew again raised his gun and fired. The bullet ripped through the A.H. on Gibbs's chest. And he fell to the ground.

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><p><strong>DUN, DUN, DUN!<strong> Suspense! Well, it's not suspenseful for me cuz I already read the story. Please review, or I will come after you! Nah, I won't cuz I don't have the time or the resources.


	8. Plan

Okay, so I was still bored and typed another chapter. It's very, very, very short though! But that's not my fault. Also, I want to thank the amazing people who have reviewed this so far! I am giving you all hugs in my mind!

I still don't own NCIS. Never have, never will.

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><p>Jimmy slept soundly in his motel room. Ducky and Abby sat at a table, each having cards in their hands.<p>

"Got any threes?" Abby asked.

"Go fish."

Abby slapped her cards on the table. "I know you're lying! You have the whole frickin' deck!"

Ducky winced. "I suppose that wasn't a good move."

"Ya think?"

Jimmy snored slightly. "Michelle." he murmured.

Abby placed her hand over her mouth and stifled laughter. "Do you think Lee and Palmer are together?"

Ducky nodded. "That would explain all the times they've gone missing."

Something dawned on Ducky at that moment. He quickly got up and shook Jimmy awake.

"Get up. We're going to the hospital."

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><p>See? Very, very, very short! I should have chapter 9 up by tomorrow or Sunday. That depends on whether I'm lazy or not. also, there is only going to be two more chapters in this story! Anyways, please review and keep reading!<p> 


	9. Bleed It Out

I promise, I did not wait almost a week to update just to leave you in suspense! I was just lazy and didn't feel like typing. But I was bored, so I typed up this chapter. Anyways, enjoy the story!

I only own NCIS in my dreams.

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><p>Ziva pushed the shank into Andrew's chest and twisted it sideways. Air escaped his lungs and life left his eyes. Andrew crumpled to the ground dead.<p>

Tony tore off his jacket and sprinted to Gibbs. He covered his wound trying to stop the bleeding. Tony put pressure on the wound and propped Gibbs's head on his knee.

"Tony…" Gibbs said, barely above a whisper.

"Save your energy, Boss." Tony said, nearly in tears.

Ziva slid onto her knees beside Gibbs. Silent tears slid down her cheeks, but she made no noise to indicate she was crying. Tim choked back a sob.

Gibbs shook his head. "I need…to get something…off my chest…"

Tony smiled. "Yeah, a bullet."

Gibbs laughed, which soon turned into coughing. "No, not that," he gasped, "I murdered someone…"

Tony pressed harder on the wound, feeling blood run between his fingers. "Hold on, Boss."

"Ducky and Abby…" Gibbs said.

McGee furrowed his brow. "What?"

Gibbs coughed violently into his hand. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. "This is going to hit Duck and Abby…hardest…"

Gibbs closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He counted his heart beats, which were becoming slower by the second.

Ziva whimpered, "Don't say that."

Tony removed his blood soaked jacket from Gibbs's chest. "McGee, give me what's left of your jacket."

"It's in the cell."

Tony swore loudly. He reached down and grabbed Gibbs's arm and wrapped it around his neck. McGee did the same. They dragged Gibbs out into the hallway, looking for an exit.

"Up there." Ziva said, pointing to a flight of stairs.

Tim and Tony quickly, but carefully ascended the stairs and pushed open a small door. They were immediately greeted with scorching hot air.

"Leave me…" Gibbs croaked.

"Not in your life." Tony replied.

The desert around them was empty. Not a building in sight.

"Poop." Ziva muttered.

"Crap." McGee corrected.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Would you have rather me said sh-" Ziva was interrupted by Gibbs coughing.

* * *

><p>After forty-five minutes of traveling west, Tony and McGee tripped over something, sending Gibbs flying. Ziva ran forward and propped him up against her.<p>

"What was that about?" she demanded.

"Tripped." Tony muttered.

McGee examined the ground in front of him. "Guys, look at this!"

In front of him was a large rock. He and Tony struggled to lift it. Underneath was a small staircase that led to a wooden door. The trio quickly descended with Gibbs in tow.

McGee frantically knocked on the door and after a few seconds, a man in his early twenties opened the door. The moment he caught sight of the blood, he ushered them in.

"Set him on the couch." he said, scrambling for his first aid kit.

The man threw Ziva a wet wash cloth and she quickly began to clean Gibbs wound. The man came over with another wet wash cloth and placed it on Gibbs forehead.

"I'm Deuce." he muttered.

Deuce moved to a small radio sitting on his end table. He threw on a pair of headphones and picked up a piece of metal and began clicking. He was using Morse code.

McGee listened in, having learned the code from his father.

Dot-Dot-Dot

Dash-Dash-Dash

Dot-Dot-Dot

A standard SOS. Deuce was calling for help. McGee turned his attention back to Gibbs, who was mumbling something.

"Pedro…" he said, "He killed my girls…my wife and daughter." Gibbs began to cough. "So…I killed him."

Gibbs closed his eyes and whispered incoherent words, only interrupted by his coughing. Ziva placed her head in her hands and softly cried.

Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva and mumbled, "It'll be okay."

Deuce stood up, taking his headphones off to sit beside the couch.

"He's lost a lot of blood." Deuce noted.

Tony nodded.

"A helicopter is on the way to get him. But they can't take all of you. I can take you if you want."

Tim forced a smile. "Thanks."

Gibbs was sent into a coughing fit. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he wheezed for air. Deuce quickly ran out of the room and brought back a bucket. Gibbs heaved the acid from his empty stomach along with some blood into the bucket. Tony helped Gibbs move to a comfortable position.

Overhead, a helicopter could be heard. Tony and McGee carefully sat Gibbs up as the E. swarmed the room. They carefully lifted Gibbs onto a stretcher and ascended the stairs, unsure about the flight ahead of them.

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><p>Okay, so there is only one more chapter after this! Which is good for me, cuz I'm getting sick of being a typing monkey! Seriously, I don't get paid anything to type up this whole frickin' story! Sorry 'bout the angry rant again! So, I'm just gonnna shut up now.<p> 


	10. Flat Line

So this is the last chapter! And I actually can't think of anything else to say for once!

If I owned NCIS, Tony and Ziva would totally be together. But they're not, which means I still don't own NCIS.

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><p>Doctor Kim nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry Dr. Mallard," she said, "but there is no one here under those names."<p>

Abby shook her head in disbelief. This was the sixth hospital they had visited today.

"Any John or Jane Does?" Abby asked impatiently.

Dr. Kim shook her head. "None that fit your friends' descriptions."

Suddenly, her comm went off. "All free doctors are needed. We have a gunshot victim coming in. His condition is critical."

Dr. Kim visibly grimaced. "I have to go."

Ducky grabbed her arm. "Perhaps I could be of use?"

The doctor nodded. "We need to be prepared for anything."

The two came to a room and stopped. "Are you ready?" Dr. Kim asked.

Ducky nodded and opened the door. Inside the room, all was chaos. Doctors and nurses ran around, scrambling for the right tools. Someone shoved a series of tubes in Ducky's hands. "Drain the blood out of his lungs." the young nurse demanded.

A loud whining noise filled the room. It seemed to echo throughout the room. "He's flat lining!" someone shouted.

Dr. Kim gave Ducky a little shove to say 'Get working!' Ducky moved forward to help the patient he thought was hopeless.

Everything in Ducky's hands clattered to the floor when he saw his friend, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, on the bed in front of him. A hole in his chest and his heart not beating.

* * *

><p>Abby looked up every time the door opened. She expected to see Ducky coming back, but every time it was not him.<p>

The door opened and a man she didn't know walked in, followed by three other people. Abby just stared in disbelief as the four walked to the front desk. She sprang from her seat and wrapped her arms around the nearest one, which happened to be McGee.

A surprised noise escaped McGee's mouth. The other three turned to look at him and were shocked when they saw Abby and Jimmy.

Abby squeezed McGee tighter. "I'm so glad you guys are okay!"

Abby moved to Ziva and hugged her tight. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you guys!"

Abby moved to give Tony a hug, but stopped when she saw he was covered in blood. She looked up to see all three of them had tears in their eyes.

"Where's Gibbs?" Abby asked slowly.

* * *

><p>Ducky scrambled to pick up the fallen equipment. The only thing on his mind was to save Gibbs. Everything was a blur to him at that moment. He watched in horror as the doctors slammed the thin sheets of metal onto Gibbs's chest, trying to restart his heart.<p>

Dr. Kim was shouting orders to add onto the chaos. "Someone get the bullet out now!" she demanded.

The loud whining stopped and was replaced with a steady beeping noise. Ducky let out a breath of air and moved to Gibbs's side.

"Hurry up, Mallard!" Kim demanded. "We have to get him to surgery!"

* * *

><p>Tony stared at his bloodied hands. Questions raced through his mind. Was Gibbs dead? What would they do without him? Tony didn't know. He groaned in frustration. No one would tell him anything. Gibbs was fading fast when they were at Deuce's house. He doubted he even survived the helicopter ride.<p>

_'Don't think like that'_ Tony scolded himself.

Tony groaned and leaned back in his seat. The only thing left to do was wait. Jimmy had placed a call to the director fifteen minutes earlier, and Jenny was on her way.

Ziva sat down next to Tony and put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

"What if he's dead?" Tony croaked. Tears spilled out of both of their eyes.

"He had this planned." Ziva said. "He sent that blonde girl to save us. Gibbs was willing to die, to let us live."

The blonde girl. Mel. They had never properly mourned her loss. She was so young and she died saving Gibbs. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough.

"We need to go back and bury her." Tony said. "Mel, I mean. She was a good girl, caught in the wrong crowd." Ziva nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Ducky walked into the waiting room. Everyone stood up and waited for Ducky to speak.<p>

Ducky licked his lips. "We got the bullet out and he's out of surgery."

"Will he be okay?" Jimmy asked.

Ducky's lips pressed into a thin line. "We are going to have to wait and find out."

Ducky looked to Tony. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Tony hesitated. Ducky cleared his throat. "Tony, what you did saved him." Tony nodded and followed.

Dr. Kim walked in and Abby bounded up to her. "Can we see Gibbs?" she asked the doctor.

Dr. Kim thought for a moment. "Are you blood related?"

Abby's face fell. "No."

"Are you family?"

A smile lit her face. "Definitely."

* * *

><p>Gibbs was pale as a sheet. He was nearly invisible against the hospital bed. His team sat around him, waiting for him to wake up. Wondering if he'd wake up. Eventually they all fell asleep.<p>

* * *

><p>Jenny walked into the Gibbs's hospital room to find everybody but one person asleep. Gibbs lay on the bed, with a smile plastered onto his face. Jenny slowly moved to the side of the bed.<p>

"Jethro…" she whispered.

Gibbs moved his eyes onto her. The whole time, the smile remained on his face. "I saw my girls." he said. Then he fell asleep.

Jenny gave a small smile and sat down. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>The team and Jenny woke up as the first rays of sunshine shone through the windows. Gibbs slept soundly, the team gathered around him.<p>

"He was awake last night when I came in." Jenny stated.

"That's impossible." Ducky said. "He should be in shock from blood loss and cardiac arrest."

Jenny shook her head. "No. He was awake." She lightly shook Gibbs's shoulder. "Jethro, wake up. Don't make me a liar." Gibbs didn't move and Jenny's face set in a scowl. "I'm positive he was awake-"

"I can't make you what you already are." Gibbs said from the bed. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What?" Jenny demanded.

Gibbs sat himself up. "A liar. I can't make you one because you already are one."

Jenny smiled and rolled her eyes. "Good to have you back, Jethro."

After that was said, an awkward silence fell over the room. It seemed to weigh them down. No one could speak, no one wanted to speak. But they wanted answers. Questions floated through the air then faded into nothing. Tony opened his mouth, and then closed it. Would things ever be the same? He didn't know. The only one who could answer that was Gibbs, but everyone was too chicken to ask him. Fearing the answer. Ducky cleared his throat and broke the silence.

"Jethro, you were dead. Briefly." he said.

Gibbs nodded. "I am aware of that."

Ducky snorted. "I was terrified they wouldn't be able to bring you back. It was a very sad thought, having you die before me."

Tony stepped forward. "Yeah, you need to get me a new jacket." Ziva elbowed him in the ribs. "Never mind." he groaned.

McGee nodded. "We were real worried about you when you started talking nonsense."

"I don't talk nonsense." Gibbs stated.

Silence washed over the room again. Everyone spoke what they wanted to get off their chests, but no one asked the question. Finally, Jenny threw her hands in the air.

"I give up! Special Agent Gibbs, are you going to continue to work for NCIS?"

Gibbs sat up a little straighter. "Director Shepard, I chose the life. I know what I'm doing. And on any given day, I could stop doing it. Today, however, is not that day. And tomorrow won't be either."

Tony gave a small laugh. A picture of him and his dad sitting on the couch in front of the TV early on Saturday mornings instantly came back to him. Gibbs said a quote from it.

"Bruce Wayne." Tony said with a laugh.

Ziva raised an eyebrow in question. "Who?"

"Bruce Wayne!" McGee exclaimed. "You know, Batman's real identity."

Ziva scrunched her face in concentration. "The super hero? McGee, how do you even know about that?"

Tim's face turned beet red. "Well, I- Wait, how does Tony know about it?"

Tony's face flushed. "I think the real question here is: How does Gibbs know a Batman quote?"

Gibbs flashed a smile and raised his index finger, beckoning McGee and Tony to him. The two agents looked at each other and slowly began to move towards Gibbs, eager to receive an answer. Each moved so that they were on both sides of the bed. They leaned in to hear him.

Gibbs opened his mouth to speak but closed it. He raised his hands and hit them on the back of the head in a double Gibbs slap. Both men smiled. They had the old Gibbs back.

* * *

><p>Yay, happy ending! I knew Gibbs wasn't gonna die the whole time. Not only cuz charlie told me how it would end, but cuz I knew it was impossible for Gibbs to die! Anyways, charlie is currently writing another NCIS fic and also a Maximum Ride one! I hope you enjoyed this story. Don't forget to review, or I will hunt you down and Gibbs slap you! Nah, just kidding! I'm too lazy to track you guys down! Shutting up now. Bye!<p> 


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